The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-06-03
THE HEART.

the Cardiac Region.
San Francisco Alta California.
DR.. Harry Gibbons lectured at the
Cooper Medical College recently to a
large audience on the heart and it's
disorders. He began his lecture by
remarking that scarcely two centuries
had elapsed since the complete CirCu-
latiOn of the blood was first taught
and demonstrated. After giving g.
history of the discovery OF the circula-
tion of the blood, the lecturer then
gave q lengthy and detailed descrip-
tion of the anatomy OF the heart.
The heart is in reality two muscular
pumps closely joined together, acting
together, but not communicating
with each other. In the Dugong, q
species of the whale, the right
and left hearts are separated. Each
of these pumps has an auricle to re-
Ceive the blood and aventricle to force
it out. The left heart receives the
blood from the lungs, and sends it
forth through the arteries to nOurish
the body. The veins, after gathering
up the blood from the system, pour it
into the right heart, and it is then
sent to the lungs to be aerated and
purified beforegoing into the left heart.
The various valves OF the heart were
described and their functions enumer-
ated. Roughly speaking, the heart is
about the size OF the fist of it's owner.
1t is about FIVE inches long, two inches
broad and thIee and half inches
thick. In males the average weight of
the heart is from ten to twelve ounces
and in female from eight to ten ounces.
The female heart is, however, much
larger than the male heart in proper
ton to the weight Of the body. "This
proves that the ladies are much larger
hearted than the esterner sex, remark
ed DR.. Gibbons, and his gallant speech
was greeted with q round OF applause,
while two pretty girls on one of the
front benches whispered simultaneous
ly, ooh, isn't he just too sweet for
anything"
The handsome doctor blushed and
went on to tell about the pericardium
or muscular sac, which enc!oses the
heart. He also described the circula-
tion of the blood, and told where to
place the finger to feel the pulsation of
the apex of the heart. A certain Wis
count Montgomery was kind enough
to meet with an accident which re-
moved sufficient of his anatomy to ex-
pose his heart, and the famous
DR.. Harvey used to catch hold of it
and pinch it, to show Charles that
the heart and no feeling. With every
second the heart completes it's work.
What a restless, tireless organ the
heart is, and yet it does rest about the
two-fifth portion ofevery second. To
the trained ear of the physician the
heart emits two sounds. The first
beat, heard near the apex is Of dull,
muffled character, the second is sharp
er and clearer, and is heard near the
base of the heart. The two sounds
can be best described by the words
"lub," tup." These sounds are pro.
duced by the opening and closing of
the valves of the heart.
To show the tremendous energy OF
the heart afew figures were given. AS
Stunning the average pulse 60 be 80 per
then the valves of the heart
open and close $4,000 times
every day, or 100000 times
a year; and in a lifetime of 70
years nearly 3,000,000,000 times.
Somebody once counted the hairs on
a blondes head and found there were
"Thus, you see," said the
Doctor, "'it would take all the hairs
on the heads OF 10000 blondes TO
equal the number OF times the heart
beats in life OF 70 years"
''Oh, my good gracious" giggled the
two pretty girls.
in that period of time" continued
the Doctor, nearly 50,00O,000 gal
Ions of blood pass through the heart;
and if this was all put into one reser-
voir it would float ten vessels the size
of the Great Eastern. IL the power
exerted by the heart in twenty-four
hours could be compressed into one
effort it would be sufficient TO raise
124 tons, dead weight, one foot.
If the force expended ia lifetime OF
seventy years was exerted all at once,
it would raise solid block of marble
as big as the Palace Hotel FIVE feet.
An exhaustive and somewhat techni-
cal description of the diseases affect
ing, the heart was given by the lectur-
err, and he stated, with considerable
that pain in the region Of
the heart does not necessarily indicate
heart disease. 1T may be, and very
is, due to dyspepsia and in
tercostal neuralgia. Palpitation of
the heart is of frequent occurrence in
nervous people, and for the most part
is not Of e ehatacter to produce Sc.
rious results.
The next and concluding lecture OF
the epresent series will be delivered on
the goth instant by Professor John.
sen, on the lower forms Of life, and is
to be illustrated by stereopticon
views.